Timurid dynasty

Timurid dynasty
گورکانیان
Parent house
Barlas
Country
Current region
Central Asia
Greater Iran
Indian peninsula
Founded9 April 1370
FounderTimur
Final ruler
Titles
TraditionsSunni Islam (Hanafi)
Dissolution
  • 1507 (Timurid)
  • 21 September 1857 (Mughal)
Cadet branchesMughal dynasty

The Timurid dynasty, self-designated as Gurkani, was the ruling dynasty of the Timurid Empire (1370–1507). It was a Sunni Muslim dynasty from the Barlās clan of Turco-Mongol origin descended from the warlord Timur (also known as Tamerlane).

The word "Gurkani" derives from Gurkân (گورکان)—a Persianized form of the Mongolian word kürgen, meaning 'son-in-law'. This was an honorific title used by the dynasty as the Timurids were in-laws of the line of Genghis Khan, founder of the Mongol Empire, as Timur had married Saray Mulk Khanum, a direct descendant of Genghis Khan.

Members of the Timurid dynasty signaled the Timurid Renaissance, and they were strongly influenced by Persian culture and established two significant empires in history, the Timurid Empire (1370–1507) based in Persia and Central Asia, and the Mughal Empire (1526–1857) based in the Indian subcontinent.

Origins

The origin of the Timurid dynasty goes back to the Mongol tribe known as Barlas, who were remnants of the Mongol army of Genghis Khan, founder of the Mongol Empire. After the Mongol conquest of Central Asia, the Barlas settled in what is today southern Kazakhstan, from Shymkent to Taraz and Almaty, which then came to be known for a time as Moghulistan – "Land of Mongols" in Persian – and intermingled to a considerable degree with the local Turkic and Turkic-speaking population, so that at the time of Timur's reign the Barlas had become thoroughly Turkicized in terms of language and habits.

Additionally, by adopting Islam, the Central Asian Turks and Mongols adopted Persian literary and high culture which had dominated Central Asia since the early days of Islamic influence. Persian literature was instrumental in the assimilation of the Timurid elite into Perso-Islamic courtly culture.

List of rulers

Emirs of Timurid Empire

No. Coin Name Reign Life details
1
Timur Beg Gurkani
تیمور بیگ گورکانی		 9 April 1370
–
18 February 1405
(~35 years)		 1320s – 18 February 1405
(aged 85)
2 Pir Muhammad
پیر محمد		 18 February 1405
–
22 February 1407
(~2 years)		 1376 – 22 February 1407
(aged 31)
  • Grandson of Timur through Jahangir Mirza, and his nominated heir.
3
Khalil Sultan
خلیل سلطان		 18 February 1405
–
1409
(~4 years)		 13 August 1384 – 3 November 1411
(aged 27)
  • Grandson of Timur through Miran Shah.
  • Seized and ruled from Samarkand against Pir Muhammad.
4
Shahrukh Mirza
شاھرخ میرزا 		20 February 1405
–
13 March 1447
(~42 years)		 20 August 1377 – 13 March 1447
(aged 69)
  • Son of Timur
5
Ulugh Beg Mirza
الغ بیگ میرزا 		13 March 1447
–
27 October 1449
(~2 years)		 22 March 1394 – 27 October 1449
(aged 55)
  • Son of Shahrukh Mirza

Emirs of Khorasan (Herat)

  1. Sultan Muhammad, nephew of Ulugh Beg, 1447–1451
  2. Babur Mirza, brother of Sultan Muhammad, 1451–1457
  3. Mahmud Mirza, son of Babur Mirza, 1457
  4. Ibrahim Mirza, nephew of Babur Mirza, 1457–1459
  5. Abu Sa'id Mirza, grandson of Miran Shah, son of Timur, 1459–1469
  6. Husayn Bayqara Mirza, grandson of Umar Shaikh, son of Timur, 1469
  7. Yadgar Muhammad Mirza, son of Sultan Muhammad, 1470
  8. Husayn Bayqara Mirza (second reign), 1470–1506
  9. Badi' al-Zaman Mirza, son of Bayqara Mirza, 1506–1507
  10. Muzaffar Husayn Mirza, son of Bayqara Mirza, 1507

In 1507, the capital Herat fell to Uzbek Khanate of Bukhara under Muhammad Shaybani Khan.

Emirs of Transoxiana (Samarkand)

  1. Abd al-Latif Mirza, son of Ulugh Beg, 1449–1450
  2. Abdullah Mirza, nephew of Abd al-Latif, 1450–1451
  3. Abu Sa'id Mirza, grandson of Miran Shah, son of Timur, 1451–1469

After his death, Abu Sa'id's sons split Transoxiana among themselves.

Emirs of Samarkand, Bukhara and Hissar

  1. Ahmad Mirza, son of Abu Sa'id Mirza, 1469–1494
  2. Baysonqor Mirza, son of Mahmud Mirza, 1495–1497 (only Samarkand)
  3. Ali Mirza, son of Mahmud Mirza, 1495–1500 (only Bukhara)
  4. Masud Mirza, son of Mahmud Mirza, 1495–1500 (only Hissar)

By 1501, Samarkand, Bukhara and Hissar were conquered by the Uzbek Khanate of Bukhara under Muhammad Shaybani Khan.

Emirs of Ferghana

  1. Umar Shaikh Mirza, son of Abu Sa'id Mirza, 1469–1494
  2. Babur, son of Umar Shaikh Mirza, 1494–1497
  3. Jahangir Mirza, brother of Babur, 1487–1503

In 1503, Ferghana fell to Uzbek Khanate of Bukhara under Muhammad Shaybani Khan.

Emirs of Balkh

  1. Mahmud Mirza, son of Abu Sa'id Mirza, 1469–1495
  2. Khusrau Shah, usurper, 1495–1504
  3. Babur, son of Umar Shaikh Mirza, 1504

In 1504, Balkh fell to Uzbek Khanate of Bukhara under Muhammad Shaybani Khan.

Emirs of Kabul

  1. Ulugh Mirza, son of Abu Sa'id Mirza, 1469–1502
  2. Abd al-Razzaq, son of Ulugh Mirza, 1502
  3. Muqim Arghun, usurper, 1502–1504
  4. Babur, son of Umar Shaikh Mirza, 1504–1530

In 1526, Babur moved into India and conquered the Dehli Sultanate, establishing the Mughal empire.

Mughal Emperors

  1. Babur, son of Umar Shaikh Mirza, 1526–1530
  2. Humayun, son of Babur, 1530–1540, 1555–1556
  3. Akbar, son of Humayun, 1556–1605
  4. Jahangir, son of Akbar, 1605–1627
  5. Shah Jahan, son of Jahangir, 1628–1658
  6. Aurangzeb Alamgir, son of Shah Jahan, 1658–1707
  7. Azam Shah, son of Aurangzeb, 1707
  8. Bahadur Shah I, son of Aurangzeb, 1707–1712
  9. Jahandar Shah, son of Bahadur Shah I, 1712–1713
  10. Farrukhsiyar, grandson of Bahadur Shah I, 1713–1719
  11. Rafi ud-Darajat, grandson of Bahadur Shah I, 1719
  12. Shah Jahan II, brother of Rafi ud-Darajat, 1719
  13. Muhammad Shah, grandson of Bahadur Shah I, 1719–1748
  14. Ahmad Shah, son of Muhammad Shah, 1748–1754
  15. Alamgir II, son of Jahandar Shah, 1754–1759
  16. Shah Jahan III, grandson of Bahadur Shah I, 1759–1760
  17. Shah Alam II, son of Alamgir II, 1760–1788, 1788–1806
  18. Jahan Shah, son of Ahmad Shah Bahadur, 1788
  19. Akbar II, son of Shah Alam II, 1806–1837
  20. Bahadur Shah II, son of Akbar II, 1837–1857

Family Tree

House of Barlas

  Timurid Empire
  Timurid Empire of Farghana
  Timurid Empire of Kabul
  Timurid Empire of Herat
  Timurid Empire of Samarkand
  Timurid Empire of Transoxiana
  Timurid Empire of Hissar
  Timurid Empire of Khurasan
  Mughal Empire

Timur
r. 1370–1405
JahangirUmar-ShaykhMiran-ShahShah-Rukh
r. 1405–1447
Pir-Muhammad
r. 1405–1407		BayqaraKhalil
r. 1405–1409		MuhammadUlugh-Beg I
r. 1447–1449		IbrahimBaysunghur
MansurAbu Sa'id
r. 1451–1459
r. 1459–1469		Abdul-Latif
r. 1449–1450		Abdullah
r. 1450–1451		Ala ad-Dawla
r. 1447–1448		Muhammad
r. 1449–1451		Babur I
r. 1449–1449, 
1451–1457
r. 1447–1457
Husayn-Bayqara
r. 1469–1470, 
1470–1506		Ahmad
r. 1469–1494		Mahmud
r. 1469–1469
r. 1469–1495
r. 1494–1495		Umar-Shaykh
r. 1469–1494		Ulugh-Beg II
r. 1469–1502		Ibrahim
r. 1457–1459
r. 1457–1459		Yadigar-Muhammad
r. 1470–1470		Shah-Mahmud
r. 1457–1457
r. 1457–1457
Badi az-Zaman
r. 1506–1507		Muzaffar-Husayn
r. 1506–1507		Mas'ud
r. 1495–1497		Baysunghur
r. 1495–1497
r. 1497–1499		Ali
r. 1497–1500		Babur II
r. 1494–1497
r. 1497–1497, 
1511–1512
r. 1504–1526
r. 1526–1530		Jahangir
r. 1497–1504		Abdur-Razaq
r. 1502–1504
Humayun
r. 1530–1540, 
1555–1556
Akbar I
r. 1556–1605
Jahangir
r. 1605–1627
Shah-Jahan I
r. 1628–1658
Aurangzeb
Alamgir I
r. 1658–1707
Bahadur-Shah I
Shah-Alam I
r. 1707–1712		Azam-Shah
r. 1707–1707		Kam-Bakhsh
Jahandar-Shah
r. 1712–1713		Azim ash-ShanRafi ash-ShanJahan-ShahMuhi as-Sunnat
Alamgir II
r. 1754–1759		Faruqsiyar
r. 1713–1719		Shah-Jahan II
r. 1719–1719		Rafi ad-Darajat
r. 1719–1719		Muhammad-Shah
r. 1719–1748		Shah-Jahan III
r. 1759–1760
Shah-Alam II
r. 1760–1788, 
1788–1806		Ahmad-Shah
r. 1748–1754
Akbar II
r. 1806–1837		Shah-Jahan IV
r. 1788–1788
Bahadur-Shah II
r. 1837–1857

See also

References

Notes

  1. ↑ (Persian: گورکانیان, romanized: Gurkâniyân, pronounced [guːɹˌkʰɒːniːˈjɒːn]
  2. ↑ Interregnum by Suri dynasty between 1540 and 1555

Citations

  1. ↑ Muntakhab-al Lubab, Khafi Khan Nizam-ul-Mulki, Vol I, p. 49. Printed in Lahore, 1985
  2. ↑ Maria E. Subtelny, Timurids in Transition: Turko-Persian Politics and Acculturation in Medieval Persia, Vol. 7, (Brill, 2007), 201.
  3. 1 2 B.F. Manz, "Tīmūr Lang", in Encyclopaedia of Islam, Online Edition, 2006
  4. ↑ Encyclopædia Britannica, "Timurid Dynasty", Online Academic Edition, 2007. (Quotation: "Turkic-Mongol" dynasty descended from the conqueror Timur (Tamerlane), renowned for its brilliant revival of artistic and intellectual life in Iran and Central Asia. ... Trading and artistic communities were brought into the capital city of Herat, where a library was founded, and the capital became the centre of a renewed and artistically brilliant Persian culture.")
  5. ↑ "Timurids". The Columbia Encyclopedia (Sixth ed.). New York City: Columbia University. Archived from the original on 2006-12-05. Retrieved 2006-11-08.
  6. ↑ Encyclopædia Britannica article: "Consolidation & expansion of the Indo-Timurids", Online Edition, 2007.
  7. ↑ A History of the Muslim World Since 1260: The Making of a Global Community, by Vernon Egger, p. 193
  8. ↑ ""The Man Behind the Mosque"". Archived from the original on 2020-11-09. Retrieved 2015-08-09.
  9. ↑ Maria Subtelny, Timurids in Transition, p. 40: "Nevertheless, in the complex process of transition, members of the Timurid dynasty and their Persian Mongol supporters became acculturate by the surrounding Persianate milieu adopting Persian cultural models and tastes and acting as patrons of Persian culture, painting, architecture and music." p. 41: "The last members of the dynasty, notably Sultan-Abu Sa'id and Sultan-Husain, in fact came to be regarded as ideal Perso-Islamic rulers who develoted as much attention to agricultural development as they did to fostering Persianate court culture."
  10. ↑ Burton-Page, J.; Islam, Riazul; Athar Ali, M.; Moosvi, Shireen; Moreland, W. H.; Bosworth, C. E.; Schimmel, Annemarie; Koch, Ebba; Hall, Margaret (2012-04-24), "Mug̲h̲als", Encyclopaedia of Islam (2nd ed.), Brill, doi:10.1163/1573-3912_islam_com_0778, archived from the original on 31 March 2022, retrieved 2022-03-31
  11. ↑

Sources

Further reading